Legal News
Arizona legislators consider ticket surcharge to help Chicago Cubs build spring training stadium
Thu, Mar 18th 2010 10:16 am ESTBy Kelly McWilliamsThe Arizona state legislature will abandon plans to help subsidize construction of a new Chicago Cubs spring training facility through a rental car tax, but legislators will continue their efforts to impose a ticket surcharge on all spring training games in order to help the Cubs build their new field.
The original bill, HB 2736, included proposals for both a $1 car rental tax and an eight percent ticket surcharge for all games in Arizona’s Cactus League, where 15 major league teams hold spring training each year. Full Story...
New consumer-friendly Connecticut ticketing bill moves closer to adoption
Wed, Mar 17th 2010 2:39 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.A new bill in Connecticut that would improve consumer protections and make ticketing more transparent was approved out of a subcommittee Tuesday and is inching along to a possible vote this spring or summer by the state's General Assembly.
The proposed bill, No. 5228, marks the first time ticketing legislation with strong transparency measures has been voted out of a state legislative committee. Full Story...
Ticketing bills in Congress: Two different approaches at protecting consumers
Fri, Mar 12th 2010 5:31 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.(This story was updated on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 4:40pm EST to add a comment from StubHub)
With the introduction of the Ticket Act of 2010, two bills are currently in the House Energy and Commerce Committee that aim to regulate the ticketing industry and protect consumers. Yet, the bills take different approaches, and it appears that the two lead sponsors of the two bills may not have consulted with each other before the second bill was initiated. Full Story...
Second bill to protect consumers and regulate ticketing industry introduced in U.S. House of Representatives
Thu, Mar 11th 2010 12:53 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.(This story was updated Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 12:35pm EST to add a comment from Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.)
Two U.S. congressmen have proposed a new bill in the House that would regulate the ticketing industry, a proposal that is separate from Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.'s BOSS ACT that he introduced last year. Full Story...
New York legislature contemplates new extension of ticket resale law
Fri, Mar 5th 2010 5:01 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.New York State, one of the nation's most active and lucrative markets for event ticket resale, could continue to be an open market for brokers and fans for two more years under a proposal to extend the state's ticket reselling statutes.
The state began allowing unfettered ticket resale in 2007, with one of the most progressive laws in the country. Full Story...
Wisconsin ticket resale law tabled in the legislature
Fri, Mar 5th 2010 1:17 pm ESTBy Kelly McWilliamsWisconsin lawmakers’ efforts to pass a ticket resale bill have hit a snag in the state’s Assembly. The bill would have made it harder for unauthorized ticket resellers to operate freely at various venues in the state.
Current state law allows municipalities to outlaw the sale of tickets for more than face value, but selling at or below face value remains legal. Full Story...
NYT questions whether Wiseguys committed a crime
Fri, Mar 5th 2010 11:28 am ESTRead more at New York Times...A lot has been written about the four men federally indicted this week for allegedly hacking into Ticketmaster's and other companies' computers to obtain tickets, but now the New York Times is following the lead of attorney Mark Rush in questioning whether Wiseguy Tickets actually committed a crime. In a commentary in the newspaper's "DealBook" section today, March 5, author Peter J. Henning discusses why he has reservations about the government's case, including questions about the alleged wire fraud charges and what harmful "information" the Wiseguys gathered from "protected computer" besides tickets. Rush, who represents defendant Kenneth Lowson, expressed similar concerns with the government's case. Full Story...
'Wiseguys' plead not guilty in alleged massive ticket hacking scheme
Wed, Mar 3rd 2010 4:09 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.Three of the four suspects in the Wiseguy Tickets computer hacking case pleaded not guilty in federal court in New Jersey Tuesday, March 2, and the alleged owner of the company remained in custody pending a bail hearing scheduled for today.
Kristofer Kirsch posted a $1 million bond, while Joel Stevenson posted a $500,000 bond and both are currently free. Full Story...
New York governor in hot water over Yankees World Series tickets
Wed, Mar 3rd 2010 2:42 pm ESTRead more at New York Times...Embattled New York Gov. David Paterson is finding himself embroiled in another potential scandal, this time involving New York Yankees World Series tickets he allegedly obtained without paying for this past fall. The state Commission on Public Integrity said the governor allegedly violated ethics laws by receiving the tickets, and he also allegedly lied when he told officials that he planned to pay for them. The premium tickets, which carried a face value of $425 each, were located in the rows behind home plate and were solicited from team officials. Full Story...
New Jersey Congressman Pascrell praises Wiseguy Tickets federal indictments
Tue, Mar 2nd 2010 5:16 pm ESTBy Alfred Branch Jr.U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., a vocal advocate for improving the ticketing industry, praised federal authorities for the recent indictments of the principals from Wiseguy Tickets, and he reiterated his call for passage of his BOSS Act that would help police the ticketing landscape.
The four indicted – Kenneth Lowson, 40; Kristofer Kirsch, 37; Faisal Nahdi, 36; and Joel Stevenson, 37 – were charged with 43 counts of various cyber crimes for allegedly hacking into the Web sites of Ticketmaster, Tickets.com and others to illegally obtain tickets to dozens of high profile concerts, sporting events and theatrical shows. Full Story...





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